


I'm Finally Waking Up (Bruised)

by Skaboom



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Abuse, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Jafar is a terrible father, Jay Centric, Jay gets kidnapped by pirates, M/M, Manipulation, Slight AU - Jay gets left behind on the Isle, So is Gaston, Uma gets chosen instead, Violence, broken trust, burned relationships, lying, sad boys find love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:01:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29004171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skaboom/pseuds/Skaboom
Summary: When Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Uma are chosen as the first four VKs to go to Auradon, Jay finds himself alone on the Isle without his friends, suffering at the hands of his cruel father. After finally working up the courage to run away, with nowhere to go, Jay crosses paths with Gil, another VK, cast out, broken, and alone. Wanting to reach out to Gil, Jay follows him, trying to muster up the right words to say, but before he can, a misunderstanding with Harry Hook, paired with a complicated past, leave Jay in a rough position. The prisoner of a pirate crew determined to ransom him back to his evil father, Jay must find a way to atone for his past actions, and truly come to terms with his fears, feelings, and thoughts.His life may depend on it.
Relationships: Gil/Jay (Disney: Descendants), Past Harry Hook/Jay - Relationship
Comments: 18
Kudos: 29





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be short, and then it sort of...expanded, so yeah! Would love some feedback, and will hopefully have Chapter 2 up soon! Thanks to Kattahj for inspiring me!
> 
> The title is from the song Bruised by Jack's Mannequin.

“I’m sorry!” Jay cowered in the corner of the small home that he shared with his father. “I tried, but there’s almost nothing of value left on this island!”   
  
“Then go out there and find what  _ is _ left!” Jafar shouted.    
  
“I tried!” Jay argued.    
  
“Try harder! This is worthless!” Jafar threw the ceramic pitcher that Jay had brought home at the wall right next to his son.   
  
The pitcher shattered, and Jay covered his face and head with his arms just in time, one of the ceramic shards hitting his bare arm, cutting deep, and drawing blood.    
  
In moments like these, Jay couldn’t blame his mother for leaving, but he hated that she hadn’t taken him with her. She must be on the Isle somewhere, but Jay had been a baby when she had left them, and his father had refused to tell Jay anything about who she was. As a result this, here with his father, stealing to try to make a living, had become his life, and it was unlikely to ever change.   
  
There had been a brief moment of hope, when four children from the Isle had been chosen to go to Auradon, but why would he ever have been one of them? Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Uma were all excellent choices, and they were his friends, how could he ever begrudge them going? He just wished that he hadn’t been left behind.    
  
Then again, he didn’t share any of this with anyone. To the world, to everyone outside of this one story, one bedroom home, he was strong, tough, the kind of guy that no one messed with. He always explained away his scrapes, cuts, and bruises with tales of brawls and fights with other locals, never giving anyone reason to believe that he could possibly be what he was now - cowering, terrified, as his father loomed over him.   
  
Why would anyone believe him if he told them, anyways? Jay was huge, and strong, and he could take his father physically, but mentally? Mentally he couldn’t do it. Mentally, he was powerless against the man that had raised him.    
  
“Do you know what it means if you keep bringing home crap like this?” Jafar bellowed, taking a step closer to his son.   
  
Jay moved his arms slightly so that he could see his father, but didn’t totally bring them down. His right arm stung where it was bleeding, and he could feel the hot liquid on his skin, but he would have to deal with it later.    
  
“That we won’t have enough money,” Jay said softly.    
  
“That,” Jafar shrugged. “And that  _ you _ are just as worthless as the junk you bring in.”   
  
“You go out and try!” Jay said, incredulous, but still frightened. “There’s nothing out there, and everyone knows who I am by now, they have their guard up when I’m around, it’s impossible to-”   
  
Jay didn’t get to finish his sentence, as his words were met with a swift slap across the face that sent him reeling back into the wall.    
  
He should have seen it coming, and he cursed himself for not bracing for it.    
  
“Weak.” Jafar spat. “You’re weak and worthless.”   
  
Jay closed his eyes, trying to hide the fact that they were stinging with tears. If his father saw him cry, that would only make things worse, the insults he would sling would be stronger, and who knew what else he would throw at Jay. The fact that he had thrown the pitcher at the wall and not directly at the 17 year old was a small mercy. The young man didn’t want to know what might come if he showed further weakness.    
  
“I’ll do better,” he whispered, steadying himself as best he could.    
  
“Damn right you will,” Jafar snarled. “Or I’ll have no use for you, and you’ll be out on the streets!”   
  
Jay gulped, looking over at the small rug where he slept, underneath a shelf buckling under the weight of everything on it. At any moment, he was sure, the shelf could give in to that weight, and he’d be crushed, and maybe, just maybe, the streets didn’t seem so bad.    
  
At least here, though, there was food.   
  
“If you put me out on the streets, you’ll have no one to do your bidding,” Jay argued, though he knew it was against his better judgement. Talking back to his father never ended well, but he was Jay. He had to put up  _ some _ sort of fight, he couldn’t just take this lying down. As he saw the fire in his father’s eyes, however, he felt maybe it would have been best to.    
  
“What did you say?”    
  
“Nothing.” Jay shook his head. “Nothing, I’m sorry.”   
  
“Oh, you certainly will be, boy!”    
  
Jafar grabbed Jay’s wrist and spun him, pinning his already injured arm painfully behind his back, and forcing his front against the wall. Jay cried out in pain, but his father didn’t care. He used his free hand to grab a fistful of Jay’s long hair, and pulled his head back before slamming it against the wall.    
  
“Let me go!” Jay struggled against his father’s grip, the tears that had been stinging at his eyes now rolling down his cheeks, the young man powerless to stop them, despite his best efforts.    
  
His head was throbbing, and he knew there would be a goose egg forming soon, if it wasn’t already.    
  
“You apologize to me!” Jafar’s tone was low, menacing, no longer the shouting it had been before, and if anything, that was even more terrifying.    
  
“I’m sorry,” Jay whispered. “Please, let go!”   
  
“I don’t think you’ve learned your lesson.” Jafar released his grip on Jay’s hair, but not his arm, using the power that he had over his son to keep him still as he bent down, grabbing one of the stray shards of ceramic before standing back up. He pressed the tip of it to Jay’s cheek. “But I’ll give you a permanent reminder. Everytime you look at yourself, you’ll know not to cross me.”   
  
He pushed the tip of the shard deeper, and Jay felt it break skin, blood beginning to drip through it, and he couldn’t just stand there anymore. Before Jafar could drag the sharp edge across his cheek, Jay pulled back, wrenching his arm from his father’s grip, and pulling himself free from the man. With one swift move, he pushed his father to the ground, and ran for the door. Jafar grabbed for him, but he was thrown off guard by Jay’s action, and he was no match for his son’s speed. In moments, Jay was out the door, and running down the streets of the Isle...with nowhere to go.   
  
Jay ran until he was far enough away that he was sure his father wouldn’t find him, if he even bothered to chase after him. He took a strong gulp, determined not to cry. He knew that he couldn’t go home, not now that he had fought back, not now that he had pushed his father. With his friends gone off to Auradon, he had nowhere, and no one to run to.    
  
After a while, he slowed to a walk, eyes scanning for somewhere he could make camp for the night, but the streets were unfriendly, and void of anywhere that seemed like suitable lodging.   
  
It was a cold night, but nights on the Isle always seemed to be too cold. Having left his home with nothing but the clothes on his back, he had no jacket, or anything with sleeves at all, for that matter. His head was still pounding from being slammed against the wall, and he adjusted his beanie, pulling it down over the swollen knot on his forehead. His arm and cheek still stung from the cuts, but both were beginning to clot, and he could feel the blood drying on his skin.   
  
He walked to the edge of the Isle, looking out at the dark water and wishing that he could break through the barrier. Jay didn’t know how to swim, but he told himself that he would be able to figure it out if it meant that he would finally get away from this hellhole.    
  
He was drowning here. At least in the water, he had a chance.   
  
There was nowhere to truly hide from Jafar on this island, and he knew that if his father wanted to find him, he would...he just wasn’t sure if the man would want to. He took a deep breath, gazing out at the seas, wondering what life might be like somewhere,  _ anywhere _ else.   
  
After only a few moments, however, he was pulled from his thoughts by shouting. While that was nothing uncommon around these parts, curiosity still got the best of him, and he followed the noise down a nearby residential alley.    
  
As Jay turned down the street, he could hear the booming, unmistakable voice of Gaston coming from one of the small houses.   
  
“No weakling like you could  _ ever _ be a son of mine!” Gaston shouted. “Get out, and don’t come back here, you’re nothing but an embarrassment!”   
  
The door opened, and Jay watched as Gaston physically threw one of his many sons out onto the cobblestone street and slam the door shut behind him.    
  
Jay rushed forwards as the young man slowly began to pick himself up, and once he got closer, he realized it was Gil.    
  
Of course it would be Gil.   
  
Gil was the only son that Gaston had not named after himself, and while Gil was muscular and strong, he was nowhere near the size of his brothers and father. Rather than Gaston’s dark hair and angular features - all of which had been passed on to the other boys - Gil had the wavy blonde hair and softer, more rounded features of his mother. He was the “runt” of the Gaston clan, and more or less the punching bag, though thankfully, that was largely metaphorical, for Uma’s pirate crew.    
  
“Gil?” Jay slowed his approach. “Are you alright?”   
  
“I’m fine,” Gil said brushing his clothes off.    
  
Jay couldn’t help but notice, however, that Gil had one arm wrapped around himself, and seemed to be holding his left side. He took another step forwards, and in the moonlight, caught a glimpse of Gil’s face. The young man’s lip was freshly split and bleeding, and there was a bruise blooming around his right eye that would likely be a fully black eye come morning.   
  
“Gil you’re not-”   
  
“Just look the other way, Jay,” Gil said, angling his entire body away from Jay. “Everyone else does.”   
  
Jay opened his mouth, but no words came out; he didn’t know what to say. He had always known that he wasn’t the only kid on the Isle whose parents didn’t love them, and as a result, he had never assumed that he was the only kid getting smacked around. That being said, suspecting that it was happening in theory, and seeing indisputable evidence of it on another boy’s face were two completely different beasts.    
  
Gil started to walk away down the alley, and Jay noticed that he was heavily favoring his right leg. He gulped, torn between letting Gil go and lick his wounds on his own, and wanting to offer support, comfort...empathy. He knew what it felt like, to have a father who didn’t care about him, who took out his disappointment with fists and cruel words, but he didn’t know how to talk about that sort of thing.    
  
No one had ever taught him how.    
  
Rather than fall in step with Gil, Jay followed him quietly. He was sneaky, stealthy from his years of being a thief, and he stuck to the shadows, just as he always had. Gil wasn’t moving quickly, so it was fairly slow going, but Jay still realized only just before they arrived that the other boy was heading for the docks.    
  
Since Uma had been chosen as one of the four VKs to go to Auradon, Harry Hook had taken over ownership of the crew, but Jay didn’t know much more than that. He had chosen young to ally himself with Mal and the others rather than Uma and her crew, and as a result, he was something of an enemy to the pirates. However, without his friends, Jay knew that he was outnumbered, and approaching their ship was likely unwise.    
  
He was just about to turn to go, to try and find somewhere else to spend the night, when Gil stopped walking, and spoke.    
  
“Go home, Jay.”   
  
“What?” Jay was shocked. “How-”   
  
“You’re not as sneaky as you think you are,” Gil pointed out. “Look, if you’re looking to pick off one of the weaklings, I don’t have anything of value, so just go on home. You come any closer to the docks and I can’t guarantee your safety.”   
  
“I wasn’t...that’s not…” Jay sighed, because how could he explain?    
  
“Just go,” Gil said. “Please? I don’t want any more trouble tonight.”   
  
Jay could hear the desperation in the other man’s tone, and he couldn’t help but feel the same way. He was exhausted, in pain, and far too worn out to deal with any further trouble tonight. Rather than say anything, he simply nodded, turning away, and heading back down the quiet, dark street.    
  
It took awhile longer, but he finally found a place that looked as good as any behind a dumpster that rested beneath an overhang. At least if it rained, he would be protected from it. He pulled a bent cardboard box from the dumpster and curled up beneath it, closing his eyes, and exhausted, physically and emotionally, drifted off to sleep. 


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay's predicament worsens as Harry and his pirate crew, upset at the thought that he was threatening Gil, bring Jay aboard The Lost Revenge as their prisoner.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t wee Jay.”   
  
Jay woke to a cackling voice, and opened his eyes to see Harry Hook and two of his crew mates, Gonzo and Jonas, standing over him.    
  
“Fuck off, Harry,” Jay groaned, sitting up.    
  
“I think not,” Harry said with a laugh. “Word on the street is that Jafar’s missing his boy.” Harry crouched down, tipping Jay’s chin up with his hook. “I’m sure he’ll be willing to pay for his primary breadwinner’s safe return. Take him, boys.”   
  
“What? No, get off of me!” Jay struggled as Jonas and Gonzo grabbed his arms, pulling him to his feet.    
  
“You’re not so tough without your gang now, are you Jay?” Harry teased. “See, we might have left you alone, but a little birdie told me you were stalking our boy Gil through the streets last night, looking to get the drop on him while he was weak.”   
  
“That’s not what I was doing!” Jay snarled, fighting as best he could as Jonas held his arms tight behind his back, Gonzo beginning to bind ropes around his wrists. “If I were trying to hurt Gil, I had plenty of time, I wasn’t-”   
  
“Then what were you doing, Jay?” Harry asked, getting right up in the other boy’s face as Gonzo finished securing the ropes.    
  
“I was just-”   
  
“You know what?” Harry rested his hook on his belt, and pulled a ratty piece of fabric from his pocket, fiddling with it a little before tying a knot in the center. “I’ve just realized I don’t care.” He shoved the knot of the fabric into Jay’s mouth, tying it tightly behind his head.    
  
Jay struggled, trying to push the fabric from his mouth, but rather unsurprisingly, Harry seemed to know what he was doing, and the gag was quite secure.    
  
“Alright, lads! Back to the Lost Revenge with him!” He skipped ahead, cackling with glee as his lackeys dragged the still struggling Jay down the street and towards the dock.   
  
Jay’s history with Harry was complicated. They had been close when they were younger, friendly...and more than friendly for a while. Harry had been Jay’s first kiss at 14, but when the rift grew wider between Mal and Uma, Jay’s hand was forced, and he had to choose a side. Harry had asked him to join Uma’s crew with him, and Mal had insisted he join her gang.    
  
Unsure of what to do, and not wanting to abandon his best friend, Carlos, Jay had sided with Mal, effectively ending his friendship with Harry, and anything else they might have had. Things had been rough between them ever since, and Jay supposed that it was unsurprising that Harry was quick to spring on him in his weakened state.    
  
Still, attempting to ransom him back to his father seemed low, even for the wharf rats...though Jay supposed they had no idea what hell it was being in that home. Running away had left him open and vulnerable, and Harry was right. Without his friends, Jay was all alone in the world, and nowhere near as much of a threat as he had been with them.    
  
All of the strength, stealth, and cunning on the Isle wouldn’t account for Harry’s numbers, and Jay was no match for the pirates.   
  
Jay didn’t submit, and as he was pulled towards the docks, he struggled, fighting his captors with every step, but even crying out for help did nothing to increase his chances. Jay had far more enemies than friends on the Isle, and none of the few people who saw him being taken cared at all. As a result, it wasn’t difficult at all for Harry and his crew members to get Jay to the docks without trouble.    
  
Harry was practically giddy by the time they approached the ship, and he grabbed Jay’s red beanie, pulling it down over his eyes just before he was forced onto the ramp up the ship.    
  
“Oh mateys!” Harry called in a sing-song voice as they boarded the ship. “I’ve returned with a nice little meal ticket for us!”   
  
With the thick beanie over his eyes, Jay could no longer see the sunlight, or where he was going, and he stumbled as the pirates shoved him onto the ship.    
  
“To the mast with him!”    
  
Jay may not have been able to see Harry, but he could hear the glee in his voice, and his stomach turned. He could have asked what he had done to deserve this kind of treatment from the young pirate, but he knew. Maybe his hand had been forced, and he hadn’t wanted to have to choose a side, but he had, nonetheless. He knew that he had broken Harry’s trust, and then gone against him several times, always allied with Mal and the rest. Maybe they had been friends once, but they had been enemies for a long time now, and Harry owed Jay nothing.    
  
He just wished the pirate would give him the chance to explain that he hadn’t been trying to hurt Gil.    
  
That he would  _ never  _ hurt Gil.   
  
The crew forced Jay to the mast, cutting his wrists free and pushing his back flush against it. He struggled, but he was no match for the several pirates holding him down, and his arms were easily pulled around the mast, his wrists crossed behind it and tightly re-bound. He didn’t know how many pirates were on him, but it was quite a few, he guessed, judging by how quickly they got him secured. His ankles were pushed together and bound tightly, another rope going around them to lash them to the base of his mast, all while ropes were being wrapped around his waist, securing him further to the wooden post. Despite being outnumbered, Jay pulled and fought at every angle, not wanting to let them think that they had won, that they had broken him.    
  
His father had done that long ago, but Harry and his crew didn’t know that, and Jay was determined not to crumble in front of his captors.   
  
“Now isn’t this a sight for sore eyes?” Harry said, leaning into Jay so close that Jay could feel the pirate’s breath on his face. “Big, scary Jay, son of the dastardly Jafar, helpless at my hands. Who ever would have thought this day would come, and yet...you’re not so tough anymore, are you?”    
  
Jay felt the point of Harry’s hook scrape along his jawline, though Harry used no force, causing no pain, and leaving no mark.    
  
“Your friends have abandoned you, you’re alone, vulnerable, and ours.” Harry practically purred the last word in Jay’s ear.   
  
Jay growled against his gag, tugging at his bonds, attempting to lunge forwards at his captor.    
  
“Uh, uh, uh.” Harry clicked his tongue, pushing Jay back against the post. “We’ll have none of that. Calm down now, you’re outnumbered, and out classed at last.” Harry reached up, pulling Jay’s beanie up so that the young man could see once again. “Take a look around, Jay.” Harry pressed his hook to Jay’s cheek, forcing him to look to one side, then the other.   
  
The crew of the Lost Revenge were all around, but Jay didn’t need to see that to know that Harry was right, that he had no chance.    
  
“You’re not going anywhere until we decide that you are, so why don’t you just sit tight there, gorgeous face, and let us do what we do best - negotiate the terms of your release with that father of yours?”   
  
“Grrrmph!” Jay lunged forwards at the mention of his father, filled with fear manifesting as rage, and headbutted Harry as hard as he could.    
  
“Oh my!” Harry laughed as he stepped back, raising a hand to his now-split lip, and looking at the blood on his fingers before wiping it off on his coat. “I’ve always loved that you had a fire in you, Jay. Of course, it’s even more fun now that you’re helpless, defenseless at my feet, as it were.”   
  
Jay glared at him, pulling at his restraints once again to try and lunge at him, but the ropes were tight, and he wasn’t going anywhere. Even if he managed to break free of them, he had no chance against a dozen armed pirates.    
  
“Alright, you all get back to work, and be sure to keep an eye on our lovely captive,” Harry sneered. “While I go draw up the terms of his ransom to be delivered to Jafar.”    
  
Harry pranced off towards the captain’s quarters, leaving Jay to watch as the pirates began to disperse back to their jobs. In the back, he noticed Gil, his black eye now fully formed, and lip swollen, begin scrubbing the deck of the ship. Jay noticed that he was still favoring his right leg, and even in his precarious position, he couldn’t help but wonder just what Gaston had done to the boy to leave him in such rough shape. Even as his prisoner, Jay’s heart went out to Gil, because he knew what that felt like, he knew what it was to suffer at the hands of the one person who was supposed to love you, and as a result, to never learn what love was supposed to feel like.    
  
He wanted to call out to him, to explain to him that he hadn’t been following him with any sort of harmful intentions last night, but even if he weren’t gagged, he wouldn’t have known what words to use. He slumped against the mast, trying to find the most comfortable position possible, as he was forced to stand against the stiff wooden post.    
  
Jay’s body was already sore from sleeping on the hard ground the night before, and now, forced to stand all day, ropes digging into his wrists, his head still throbbing, he was far from comfortable.    
  
For the most part, the pirates seemed to ignore him as they went about their work, some of them coming and going from the ship, no doubt to shake down the island locals for payment.    
  
Jay’s concept of time was dismantled, and he wasn’t sure how long he had been standing there, observing the goings on of The Lost Revenge and her crew before Harry emerged from his cabins, holding a piece of parchment in his hands, reading loudly from it as he strolled the deck.    
  
“Your Evilness, Mr. Jafar, it is my distinct pleasure to announce that myself and my crew have recovered your missing son. He is currently being held prisoner on our ship, but will be released to you relatively unharmed upon the payment of fifty gold pieces, to be brought in full to The Lost Revenge in exchange for your boy. Sincerely, Harry Hook, Captain of The Lost Revenge.”   
  
His tone was smug, and he finished reading just in front of Jay, making a show of rolling up the parchment, and sealing it. He kissed the scroll before handing it over to one of his crew mates.    
  
“Take this to Jafar’s shop,” he instructed the other pirate. “And leave immediately, don’t wait for a response. If he wants his precious Jay back, he’ll have to work for it.”   
  
Jay gulped, watching as the pirate took off with the letter, knowing he was nothing even close to precious to Jafar. He had never been precious to anyone.   
  
Jay didn’t know what his father was saying about his disappearance, and he didn’t know if Jafar would deem him worth the 50 gold. He did, however, know that his father would be able to get the money, and could likely pay if he wanted to, though it would probably take a couple of days. A small part of Jay feared what would happen to him at the hands of Harry and his crew if his father opted not to pay his ransom, but a much larger part was afraid of what fate would befall him if his father did come for him.    
  
Scared, and out of options, Jay did his best to take deep breaths and focus on potential means of escape.    
  
“What, given up the fight already, Jay?”    
  
Harry pulled Jay from his contemplation with a pompous smirk. He raised his hook, and used it to tug down Jay’s gag so that it hung around his neck.    
  
“Just waiting for the right moment to kick your ass,” Jay snarled.    
  
“Awfully feisty for someone tied to a ship’s mast, aren’t you?” Harry laughed, attaching his hook to his belt to free up his hands. “And to think, I was so kind as to bring you a meal.” He lifted a glass of water, and a half-rusty tin plate with a hunk of bread and some dried meat.   
  
“I don’t need your false hospitality, Hook,” Jay spat.    
  
“Well, regardless of your pride, my ransom demand assured that we would return you  _ relatively _ unharmed, and I’m nothing if not a man of my word, so drink up.” He forced the cup of water to Jay’s lips and tilted it, giving Jay little choice but to drink the water.    
  
He would never confess to how good it tasted against his throat, which was dry from the gag. He hadn’t had anything to drink since before he had left home, and the water was a welcome change. Unable to help himself, Jay gulped the water down until it was gone, taking a deep breath as Harry moved the glass away.   
  
Now that the flood gates were open, Jay quickly ate the food offered to him, in spite of the humiliation of Harry feeding it to him in front of the entire crew.    
  
“There’s a good boy,” Harry said with a smirk, patting Jay on the cheek as he finished the meal.    
  
“Let me go, Harry,” Jay snarled.    
  
“I will, I will...as soon as your ransom is paid, of course. Until then, you just stay right here, a trophy of my superiority.” The captain puffed out his chest.   
  
“I’m not a trophy,” Jay hissed, once again, tugging fruitlessly at his ropes. “Just let me go. You don’t know what my father can do.”   
  
“Your threats don’t scare me, Jay,” Harry chuckled. “And neither does dear old daddy. His powers have no bearing here, and it’s a game of numbers now, isn’t it? He’s outnumbered, just as you are. It would be foolish of him to attempt a rescue.”   
  
Jay had hoped that Harry was stupider, but apparently, he had continued to learn under Uma’s leadership, and he had a good point...several of them, really. Even without being outnumbered, though, Jay wasn’t sure his father would risk much to save him.   
  
“I’m not afraid of you, Hook.”   
  
“Oh, Jay...Jay, Jay, Jay.” Harry raised his hook, once again pressing it to Jay’s cheek. “You should be.” With a smirk, he used his hook to lift the cloth gag, forcing it back into Jay’s mouth and tightening it behind his head. “Why don’t you just shut your mouth and look pretty, hmm?” Harry tilted his head to the side. “And we can both enjoy your predicament until your father pays.” He reached out, tousling Jay’s beanie before backing away, eyes locked on Jay for several seconds before finally turning, and heading towards the wharf.   
  
Jay closed his eyes, grateful for the water and the meal, but fearful for his fate. He didn’t know Harry’s intentions, should his ransom not be paid. He wasn’t sure just how much malice and resentment lay within the other young man, but he knew what horrors awaited him if he was returned to his father.    
  
He just wasn’t sure which was worse - the devil he knew, or the one he didn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Gil/Jay will become more prominent, I promise! I just wanted to spend a little time exploring some other histories, too. Thanks for reading!


	3. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the sun sets on Jay's first day as a prisoner of the pirates, Jay attempts to get closer with Gil. However, with Gil an uncertain in Jay's mind, he hatches a plan to escape from his captors.

As night fell, the crew began to disperse a little. Some went home to their families, while others went below to sleep in shifts, and others still took up watch. Mercifully, Jay’s bonds were changed, and as the sun set, he was allowed to sit down, his arms still tied behind the mast, his knees bent before him as a short rope attached his ankles to the mast, a final rope secured around his chest to keep him steady. His mouth was once again dry from the gag, but at least he was seated.    
  
It was far from comfortable, but it was better.   
  
By the time Jay’s dinner was brought to him, the sun had gone down, and the night was growing cold. This time, to Jay’s surprise, it was Gil who brought the meal. The blonde boy sat beside him, removing Jay’s gag before offering up the water.    
  
He was gentler than Harry had been, and Jay drank from the cup gratefully, pulling his head back slowly when it was empty.    
  
“I wasn’t going to hurt you last night,” Jay said softly, his voice a little hoarse.    
  
“Harry said you’d say that,” Gil replied, tearing off a piece of bread and lifting it to Jay’s lips.    
  
Jay ate the bread quickly, gulping it down to attempt once again to speak to Gil.    
  
“I mean it, Gil, if I were going to jump you, I would have done it before you even got close to the docks, close to your backup. I didn’t mean you any harm.”   
  
“Okay.” Gil’s tone was detached, apathetic as he fed the rest of the bread to Jay.    
  
He wasn’t as rushed as Harry had been earlier, the captain practically shoving the food down Jay’s throat while Gil gave him smaller pieces of the salted meat and bread, allowing him plenty of time to chew and swallow. Still, with as hungry as Jay was, it wasn’t long until the plate was clean.    
  
Jay watched as Gil carefully placed the cup on top of the plate, pushing it to the side.    
  
“I’m sorry if I scared you,” Jay tried again, looking up at Gil.    
  
This wasn’t a desperate attempt at self preservation, Jay was truly sorry. He had seen Gil thrown from his home, and he hadn’t meant to add to the trauma of the other boy’s night.    
  
“Don’t.” Gil shook his head “Harry said you can’t be trusted.”   
  
“You don’t have to listen to everything he says.”   
  
“He’s my best friend,” Gil argued. “He’s looking out for me.”   
  
Jay opened his mouth to object, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t tell Gil that Harry didn’t care about him, because he knew that Harry did. Gil had always been slower, less cutthroat than the other pirates, but Harry had never left him behind. Back when Jay had known Harry, when they had been friends, he knew that Harry and Gil were close as well, and it was clear that nothing had changed there.    
  
“I’m not your enemy, Gil,” Jay tried.    
  
Gil furrowed his brow, looking at Jay.   
  
“Did they do this to you?” Gil asked, reaching up and pushing Jay’s beanie off, gently touching his fingers to the lump on Jay’s forehead, then to the small cut on his cheek. “When they took you?”    
  
“No.” Jay shook his head. “It happened before.”   
  
“And your arm?”   
  
“Before.”   
  
Gil nodded, and lifted the cloth that hung around Jay’s neck, but stopped.    
  
“Stay quiet,” Gil said, getting to his feet. “I’ll be right back.”   
  
Jay nodded, turning his head, watching as Gil disappeared below deck. He kept his eyes on the spot where Gil had disappeared from, wondering what was going on.    
  
He may not have been the smartest kind on the Isle, not by a long shot, really, but he was smart enough to know that Gil was his best chance. The young man had always had a softer heart, had never turned cruel or unkind, and even with the regular actions of the pirates that he ran with leaning towards violence and fear mongering, Jay had never seen Gil hurt anyone.    
  
Proof of Gil’s kinder heart came when he returned, his hands full, and sat in front of Jay again    
  
“This might sting, but hold still,” Gil said, dipping a clean cloth into the bucket that he had brought with them.   
  
Jay winced as Gil cleaned the open cut on his arm, and then the one on his cheek, gently wiping away the dried blood before bandaging his arm.    
  
“Thank you,” Jay said, trying to catch Gil’s eyes with his own.    
  
“You could get really sick if it gets infected,” Gil said, not meeting Jay’s brown eyes.    
  
“Still. You didn’t have to do that.”    
  
“Harry said he’d return you to your father more or less unharmed. I didn’t do it for you.”   
  
Jay felt a pang of anxiety in his chest as Gil mentioned his father.    
  
“Gil-” He stopped himself.    
  
He couldn’t tell Gil about how his father treated him. It was the only card he had left, and Gil might have sympathy, Jay thought he would, but if he was wrong, if Gil took what he said straight to Harry, Jay would lose the only leverage that he had. As long as the pirates thought that Jafar cared about him at all, they had a reason to keep him safe. If they knew that Jafar would just as soon scar Jay himself, there was no telling what Harry and his crew might do to him.   
  
Gil said nothing, but lifted a bulky cloth. He gently placed it against the knot on Jay’s forehead, and Jay felt the chill of ice through the cloth. It was jarring, with the already cold night, but it felt good against his swollen wound. Jay closed his eyes, taking in the feeling of the cool, icy cloth against his throbbing head.    
  
He wasn’t sure if he ever remembered anyone tending to his injuries before. After fights, and after run-ins with his father, he had always been left to lick his own wounds, and he had done so without complaint. It was nice, and Jay sank against the mast. Even exhausted, cold, and tied up, the feeling of Gil’s gentle hands tending to him felt good. While he wouldn’t say it, he also wouldn’t deny himself the feeling.    
  
“There, that should help with the swelling.”   
  
Jay opened his eyes as Gil removed the ice pack, placing everything back into the bucket that he had brought with him.    
  
“Thank you, Gil.”    
  
Jay wanted to push. He wanted to ask Gil to let him go, or even just to loosen his bonds enough that Jay would be able to work himself free and escape, but he knew that it was too soon. If he pushed Gil too hard too quickly, he would lose any modicum of trust or compassion that Gil might have had for him. He knew that he was going to have to play a longer game than this.    
  
Without saying anything, Gil lifted the last thing that he had brought with him - a blanket. He wrapped the blanket around Jay, tucking it into the ropes, and around where his shoulders and back met the post so that it wouldn’t fall away easily.    
  
“Goodnight, Gil,” Jay tried, once again hoping to meet the other boy’s eyes, but Gil kept his gaze cast downwards, and said nothing.    
  
He leaned forwards and placed the gag back into Jay’s mouth, the knotted fabric filling his mouth, though unlike Harry, he didn’t tighten it, and it had loosened due to being pulled. If Jay wanted to, he would be able to push it from his mouth. As the other boy gathered his things and walked away, Jay wondered if Gil had made a mistake, or whether he was intentionally giving Jay a reprieve from the tight cloth pulling at the corners of his mouth.    
  
He shifted, closing his eyes as he tried to find the most comfortable position possible for an attempt at sleep. It wasn’t easy, drifting off while bound to the mast, but with the blanket keeping him warm, and his wounds tended, Jay was able to finally nod off into a fitful, restless sleep.   
  
***   
  
Being outside, with little shade or shelter, Jay woke with the sun, his body practically screaming. He was tied tightly enough that he could hardly move, and as a result, he was stiff and aching all over, with no idea how long this particular pain was going to last. He was young, and fit, his body would recover...but only if it was given the chance to. If these pirates made good on their threats and gave him back to his father, who knew if it would have that chance?   
  
After a while, Jay was fed, and finally given the chance to stretch a little as three of the crew members escorted him to use the bathroom, making sure that he knew in no uncertain terms, due to the swords pointed at him, that he would be in trouble if there were any funny business whatsoever.    
  
As he was re-bound to the mast, this time in the standing position, he scanned the deck for Gil, but the other man was nowhere in sight. Jay was hoping to get more time with him. Of all of the pirates that Jay had dealt with so far, Gil was by far the most gentle, and whether Gil knew it or not, there was something connecting them, and Jay wanted to get to know him better. He wanted Gil to, if nothing else, truly believe that Jay hadn’t wanted to hurt him. In the back of his mind, though, was the fact that he still knew that Gil was his best chance at escape. If he told Gil what Jafar was doing to him, he was sure the other man would understand, but he was scared.    
  
If he told Gil everything, he wouldn’t have anything left to hold on to, he would be completely open and vulnerable, every single one of his cards shown. He had never been in this position before, there had always been something that he could do to help himself, something that he could do to keep some level of control over a situation, but now?   
  
Now he was completely at the mercy of Harry’s crew, and his father.   
  
The pirates went about their day, for the most part ignoring Jay, save for the occasional taunts. If they had heard anything back from Jafar, they were keeping tight-lipped about it, and Jay’s mind was focused more and more on his body. He had shooting pains going down his back and sides, his head was still sore and throbbing. Gil’s tenderness from the night before long since worn off, though his arm and cheek seemed to be healing. His lips were beginning to chap, and his throat and mouth were dry from the gag. The cloth was soaked, sour tasting, and tugged painfully at the corners of his mouth, something that initially hadn’t much bothered him, but was growing more and more uncomfortable by the minute.    
  
True to their word, though, Harry had his crew taking decent care of Jay. Around midday, another pirate, Jonas, he was fairly certain - definitely one of the two who had been involved in his abduction - brought him lunch. It was more of the same - water, bread, and meat but variety of food was scarce on the Isle, and as a prisoner, Jay wasn’t surprised that they weren’t wasting their best food on him.    
  
“Have you heard from my father?” Jay asked the second the gag was out of his mouth and around his neck.    
  
“Wow,” Jonas laughed. “Your resolve really is cracking, isn’t it?”   
  
“I just want to know my timeline here,” Jay said, his eyes scanning the other man, sizing him up. He didn’t know Jonas well, but he didn’t seem as bright as Harry or as kind as Gil.    
  
“If Harry wants you to know anything, I’m sure he’ll tell you,” Jonas said. “Now are you going to eat, or aren’t you?”   
  
Jay wanted to sneer at him, and refuse the food, but he knew that he was going to need every last bit of strength that he could get, whether it was to fight off the pirates, or to fight off his father.    
  
Begrudgingly, he accepted the bread and meat, eating it quickly. Jonas was even more impatient than Harry, and Jay had to work quickly to chew the too-large bites that Jonas was foisting upon him.   
  
It wasn’t until he was finished with the food, and Jonas bent down to pick the water up from the ground that Jay noticed the dagger at the pirate’s side. He took a deep breath, his eyes focused on the weapon. If Jonas came close enough to him, if he could pull his bound hands around just a little, he might be able to get the weapon, and have at least a shot at freedom.    
  
“Drink up, me hearty,” Jonas teased, pressing the water glass to Jay’s lips.   
  
This time, Jay drank slowly, working his body just slightly to a different angle. Years of practice meant for light hands, but even so, it was tricky with the way he was tied. With Jonas focused on helping him drink the water, however, Jay was able to successfully lift the weapon from the other man, tucking it quickly between his torso and the post, leaning hard against it, the hilt of it digging into his back to make sure that it didn’t fall to the ground.    
  
As he finished his water, was re-gagged, and left alone once again, he tried to gauge whether or not Jonas had noticed his missing weapon. It seemed not, but Jay wasn’t sure how long that would be the case for.    
  
Ideally, he would wait until nightfall, until the ship was quieter, and more abandoned, but he wasn’t sure that he had the luxury of time. They could search him for Jonas’ missing dagger at any moment, or he could lose the physical control to keep the knife lodged between his back and the post.   
  
Still, he didn’t make his move right away. He waited until the bulk of the crew seemed distracted, doing work about the ship. The novelty of having a captive in their midst seemed to have largely worn off, and Harry was in town doing god knew what.    
  
Once Jay was sure there were no eyes on him, he carefully twisted his body, inching slowly until the dagger was once again in his hands. Quietly, and with his heart pounding, Jay began to saw at the ropes binding his wrists.


	4. Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay executes his escape plan, though he remains unsure of what to do, and where to go, should it become successful.

Cutting himself free was slow going. It was difficult to position himself to get good leverage, and though the dagger was sharp, he had to be careful not to cut just the ropes and not himself. It would have been easier, he was sure, were his hands tied in front of him, or maybe even directly behind his back, but without any real view, he felt like he was stabbing in the dark.    
  
He also didn’t want to draw any attention to himself by making swift motions. He could be patient, that wasn’t the issue. His desire to move quickly was about timing, not patience. He was out here in the open, and he knew that at any minute, one of the pirates could look over, see his escape attempt, and that would be curtains on the entire thing.   
  
Jay focused his breathing, and after what seemed like far too long, finally had his hands free. He let the ropes drop quietly, and quickly moved to cut his legs and waist free from the post. The leverage for that was much better with his hands fully available to him, and in moments, he was ripping the gag from his mouth with one hand, clutching the dagger tightly in the other.   
  
Years of being sneaky had taught Jay to assess a situation, and he knew where all of his enemies were. Two pirates were behind him, doing god knows what. Another was in front of him, but hanging over the side of the ship scrubbing it, and Gil was the closest, mere feet away, doing something complicated with the ship’s rigging that Jay knew he would never understand.    
  
His best escape, he assessed, was straight ahead, to move swiftly past Gil, silently past the pirate leaning over the deck, and to his freedom on the docks.   
  
He had only just started to move, however, when Harry leapt back on board, blocking Jay’s exit and drawing his sword.    
  
“Well, well, well, now what do you think you’re doing?” He asked, head tilted to the side.    
  
Harry’s words alerted the other pirates to the fact that something was going on, and Jay knew that if he was going to continue his planned escape, he had to act fast.    
  
A quick reassessment of the situation presented one clear option. Gil was, once again, his best chance. The young pirate was unarmed, closer physically to Jay than any of the others, and more than that, he was Harry’s right hand man, his best friend. Jay could reach out and grab Gil, press the tip of the sharp dagger to his throat, and likely make his way off the boat unharmed with Gil as a human shield. It would be far from the worst thing he had ever done in his life, and it would almost surely guarantee his freedom.    
  
Harry was a wildcard, but if Jay knew one thing about him, it was that he wouldn’t risk Gil. He had never left Gil behind before, even when it would have made his life far easier, and Jay was sure the captain wouldn’t abandon his first mate now.   
  
His only other option was to fight his way out, and with the other pirates now aware of his escape attempt, he knew that he didn’t have much of a chance - one dagger against 5 or more swords? It wouldn’t likely end well for him. Taking Gil hostage was the best option by far, but as he took a step towards the other man to grab him, he found himself unable to do it.    
  
He had spent the better part of the last two days trying to convince the pirates that he hadn’t meant any harm to Gil. He would instantly lose any chance at that trust the second he touched the other man, and he knew that. It wasn’t only that, though.    
  
He had seen the look in Gil’s eyes the other night, when his father had beaten him, thrown him out, and hadn’t the other man been through enough? And then there was the way that Gil had tended to him the night before. He didn’t have to do it, but he had cleaned Jay’s wounds, wrapped him in a blanket, and gone easy on him in every possible respect.    
  
Jay’s mind and body, his instincts, were screaming at him to grab Gil and get away, but his heart wouldn’t let him.   
  
Even if he did escape, where would he go? There wasn’t anywhere on this Isle where his father couldn’t find him, and there was no way off of it. Why should he risk harm to Gil if he didn’t have a real shot at freedom anyways?   
  
With a heavy sigh, he dropped the weapon, and raised his hands above his head.   
  
“Nothing,” he said, feeling hope begin to drain from his body. “I’m not doing anything.”   
  
“That’s what I thought.” Harry grinned, sauntering forwards, his sword still drawn. Once he was close enough, he pressed the tip of the blade to the underside of Jay’s chin, pushing just enough to tilt Jay’s gaze up fully to look at him. “That was a very foolish thing of you to do,” he said, his tone warning.   
  
“It was foolish of your man to leave a weapon so easily accessible,” Jay snarled.    
  
He may have chosen to surrender, but he didn’t have to. He could have made another move, and the proud part of himself wanted Harry to know that.    
  
“Didn’t do you much good though, did it now?” Harry asked with a smirk, taking a step forward.   
  
Since Harry didn’t move his sword, the step forced Jay to back up. Harry took another, and it didn’t take a genius to know that he was slowly but surely guiding Jay back towards the mast that had served as his prison.    
  
“I could have gotten away from you,” Jay challenged, even as he was backed against the wooden post once again. “Gil was right there, I could have grabbed him, I could have used him to get past you, I know he’s your weak spot, Hook.”   
  
“I have no weak spot, Jay.”    
  
“Bullshit,” Jay spat.    
  
“If you could have taken him so easily, and are so very confident it would get you safely ashore, then why didn’t you?”    
  
“Because I told you,” Jay said, standing still, rigid as he stared down his captor. “I told you that I had no intention of harming him. I meant it then, I mean it now.”   
  
“You’ll forgive me if I’m wary of your sudden integrity,” Harry said with a laugh. “But I don’t believe a word you’re saying.” He kept his sword to Jay’s throat, but turned his gaze to his crew. “Boys, fetch the shackles. Clearly, our little Jay here is too good for ropes.”   
  
Within moments, Jay felt a pair of hands on each of his arms, holding him to the post, as though Harry’s sword, and the threat of his throat being slit, weren’t enough. He fumed, but didn’t struggle for fear of skewering himself on the pirate’s blade.    
  
Jay could feel the blood pounding in his ears as he and Harry stared each other down.    
  
It was hard to believe that they had once been friends. It was hard to believe that this was the man with whom he had shared his first kiss, with whom he had used to sneak around town, running short cons, and pickpocketing the locals, sharing their spoils with glee.    
  
Now, he was Harry’s prisoner, and he saw nothing of the former fondness in the other man’s eyes. Then again, he was sure as Harry looked back at him, that he saw no fondness in Jay, either.    
  
He could beg for mercy. He could throw himself at Harry’s feet, tell him everything, and hope that maybe, somewhere inside of the pirate was the boy that Jay had once known, the one that would have done just about anything for him, but he knew that he couldn’t count on that. He had been the one to leave Harry high and dry. On the Isle, everyone knew how to hold a grudge, but very few had learned to let go. It was just how they had been raised.    
  
The blade at Jay’s throat was proof of that, and Jay felt it was better not to risk it. Once again, the thought of showing his very last card turned his stomach, and he would rather be tied up on The Lost Revenge than handed over to his father.   
  
Harry said nothing, continuing to stare down his captive as the crew returned with the chains. Soon, Jay’s wrists were locked behind the mast with the heavy shackles, and ropes were once again wrapped around his ankles and waist, securing him. Once he was tightly bound, Harry sheathed his sword and stepped forwards, mere inches from Jay.    
  
He reached up, pulling the beanie from Jay’s head, leaving his hair a tousled mess. Harry took a step forward, bringing him as close to Jay as possible, and shoved the beanie in his mouth. He then forced his hands over Jay’s mouth and leaned in, his lips right against Jay’s ear.    
  
“Make no mistake, Jay,” Harry whispered. “I’m in charge here, I have all the power. Until your father pays, you belong to  _ me _ , and if you  _ ever _ threaten Gil like that again, I will slice you to ribbons, ransom or not.”   
  
Jay felt a turning in his gut. Maybe he would have been better off not saying anything, because clearly, even mentioning that he could have used Gil to get off the boat had triggered something in Harry. This wasn’t the same playful teasing that Harry had done when tying Jay up the first time. There was weight behind his words, and against his best efforts, Jay found himself frightened.

Harry pulled the old, ratty, knotted cloth from around Jay’s neck and forced it between his lips to keep the beanie in his mouth. He tied the gag tightly behind Jay’s head, some of the boy’s dark hair getting knotted in it.   
  
As Harry pulled back, Jay looked over his shoulder and noticed Gil, looking at him with wide, green eyes. He didn’t look angry like Harry, or scared the way that he had the other night. In fact, Jay wasn’t sure what the expression on Gil’s face was, but it was clear that the other man was studying him closely.   
  
Jay turned his own gaze away. He felt weak, embarrassed, tired, sore, and ashamed to have given up so easily. Now, he had Harry’s ire directed towards him, and no idea the malice potentially brewing in his father.    
  
Jay tugged at his chains, half to show Harry that he wasn’t fully broken, and half to test them, but it was clear there was no give, and the metal pressed into his skin painfully as he pulled. His struggles were now fruitless, and his choices more than limited. He knew that, with his escape attempt, he wouldn’t likely be ignored a second time, and with the iron shackles on his wrists, he had no chance of cutting himself free again.    
  
Playing to Gil’s compassion was his only chance, and he honestly wasn’t sure if there was anything there, or if he was just imagining it.


	5. Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a rough day, and a failed escape attempt, Jay finds himself exhausted, and alone...until curiousity gets the best of Gil, and the young pirate demands answers for why Jay didn't use him to escape.

As Jay expected, he felt eyes on him at all times for the rest of the afternoon. When the sun began to go down, it was Jonas and Gonzo who altered his bindings so that he was once again sitting up against the mast. Come dinner time, it was once again Jonas who fed him.   
  
The pirate brought no blanket, and made no move to tend to his wounds, nor did he leave the gag with any leeway when he re-tied it behind Jay’s head. The beanie filled his mouth, stretching his jaw, causing it to ache, and the pain shooting through various parts of his body was only worsening.    
  
With no blanket and the metal from the shackles growing colder and colder against his wrists as the temperature dropped, Jay found himself shivering, and unable to sleep. Still, he closed his eyes, giving it his best shot, despite the impossibility of the situation.   
  
“Jay?”   
  
Jay opened his eyes, surprised to see Gil crouching in front of him. It was late, the sky was dark, and the only pirate that he could see was Desiree standing guard in the Crow’s nest.    
  
Gil reached out, gently removing the gag from Jay’s mouth, and allowing him to spit out the beanie.    
  
“What are you doing here?” Jay asked. “It’s late.”   
  
He had been fed his dinner, he knew that he had been left for the night, but Gil was here anyways. Jay couldn’t deny himself the spark of hope that maybe he still had a chance with the other man.    
  
“I couldn’t sleep,” Gil admitted.    
  
“Funny, me neither,” Jay said dryly.    
  
Gil ignored that statement, and instead, to Jay’s surprise, lifted a cup of water.   
  
“Are you thirsty?” he asked.    
  
“Yes, thank you.” Jay nodded.   
  
Three glasses of water a day was not enough, and his mouth and throat were so dry. The water was a welcome gift, and Jay closed his eyes, drinking it in until the glass was empty.    
  
He expected Gil to put the gag back on and walk away but instead, Gil sat down in front of Jay, his legs crossed, palms resting on his own thighs, moving up and down the fabric of his pants.    
  
“Gil?” Jay asked, watching the other man.    
  
“Why didn’t you do it?” Gil asked, looking up at Jay, finally meeting his eyes.    
  
“Do what?”   
  
“Why didn’t you use me to get off the boat? It would have gotten you your freedom.”   
  
“Maybe.” Jay shrugged.    
  
“Then why didn’t you just do it?”   
  
“I don’t know.”   
  
“That’s a lie.”   
  
“I…” Jay sighed. “I told you. I had no interest in hurting you. I didn’t want to go against that today, and just prove myself wrong. It would have given you all every reason not to trust me.”   
  
“We already don’t trust you,” Gil pointed out.    
  
“I don’t want to hurt you, Gil. I’ve had multiple chances now. If I wanted to bring you harm, I would have done it that night by the docks, and if not then, I would have done it today. I chose not to. I’m not…” Jay sighed. “I’m not your enemy, Gil.”   
  
“There was a line in the sand, Jay, you chose your side, and it’s not ours. It’s not mine. We’re not friends.”   
  
“That doesn’t mean we have to be enemies,” Jay argued.   
  
“History would suggest otherwise.”   
  
Well, Gil had a point there. Jay fell silent, casting his eyes downward at the deck.    
  
“If it had been Jonas, or Bonny...or anyone else,” Gil asked. “Would you have done it? Grabbed them? Used them as a way off.”   
  
“Yes,” Jay replied honestly.    
  
“Then why not me?” Gil frowned, his brow furrowed in clear confusion.    
  
“Because.” Jay shrugged. “Because you tended to my wounds, you brought me a blanket, you didn’t tighten my gag when you had the chance. You’re not...you’re not like them, Gil, and it wouldn’t have been right.”   
  
“I am like them, though,” Gil said. “I’m not some mascot, Jay, I’m a pirate, just like them. Don’t mistake my actions for goodness, for kindness. We made your father a promise not to bring you too much harm. All I’m doing is making good on my word.”   
  
“I don’t know,” Jay said. “You didn’t just take care of me, Gil, you showed tenderness. With a father like yours, I don’t know where on Earth you learned that, so maybe it’s just...inside of you.”   
  
“You’ve got me wrong, Jay,” Gil said, shaking his head.    
  
“Do I?” Jay asked. “Because I know what it’s like. I know what it’s like to have that kind of household, to have a father who only cares if you live or die because you have certain skills that benefit him. No one taught me tenderness, and as a result, I don’t know a damn thing about it, but you?” Jay shrugged. “The way that you fed me last night, the way that you cleaned my cuts, iced my head. You weren’t just methodical about it, you were  _ gentle _ , and you deserve better than you’ve gotten.”   
  
“Wow.” Gil scoffed. “Harry said you were a smooth talker, but I didn’t expect that.”   
  
“I mean it, Gil,” Jay insisted.    
  
“You’re a liar, Jay. I didn’t just meet you yesterday. I’ve seen you lie, cheat, steal, hurt people - hell, you would have fit right in with the crew, but you chose not to. Do I know if you’re lying now? No. But Harry doesn’t trust you, and I trust Harry, so I don’t trust you, either.”   
  
“That’s...fair,” Jay admitted.    
  
“It is?” Gil looked at Jay, surprised.    
  
“Yes.” Jay nodded. “I let him down when we were younger. I didn’t mean to.” He paused. “I never wanted to choose a side, Gil.”   
  
“But you did.”   
  
“I didn’t have a choice. Things between Mal and Uma had gotten so bad, and Uma was pressuring Harry not to spend time with friends of Mal’s, but Carlos was firmly on Mal’s side, and Carlos...he’s always been my number one. He balanced me out, and I kept him safe. I couldn’t abandon him, so when it all came to a head, and I had to choose, I went with Mal because I couldn’t forsake Carlos.”   
  
Gil studied Jay’s face, clearly trying to gauge if he was just spinning more tales, or if these words were true. Jay stayed silent, wanting to give Gil the chance to process his words, and to think about them.    
  
It took Gil a couple of minutes to speak again, but when he did, he wasn’t making eye contact with Jay.    
  
“You hurt him,” Gil said.    
  
“I know.” Jay nodded. “It hurt me, too. We were friends. I didn’t want…” he sighed. “I had no way to win. It was lose him, lose Evie, Mal, and Carlos, or stand my middle ground, and risk losing them all. You know as well as I do, Gil, there are so few friends to be had on this Island, and almost never any way to win.” He paused. “Like now.”   
  
“Like now?”   
  
“Regardless of what happens,” Jay took a deep breath. “I’m your prisoner, or I’m his.”   
  
“Harry’s?” Gil asked.    
  
“Jafar’s.” The word barely left Jay’s mouth, so quiet that he wasn’t even sure that Gil was able to hear him.   
  
“Your father?” Gil’s brow once again furrowed in confusion.   
  
“Yeah.”    
  
“What do you mean?”   
  
“I mean…” Jay gulped. God, this wasn’t easy to admit, and it wasn’t just that it was the last play that he had to make. It was hard to talk about the realities of his relationship with Jafar partially because he didn’t like to think about it, and partially because of how weak, how pathetic he was sure it would make him seem.    
  
“You don’t have to-”   
  
“I know.”   
  
“Okay.” Gil fell silent again, looking unsure of what to do with himself while he waited to see if Jay was going to say more or not.   
  
“My only value to Jafar is my ability to steal,” Jay said finally. “I keep his shop stocked, and that’s...that’s it. That’s our entire relationship. The night you thought I was stalking you? I had run away. He was yelling at me because I wasn’t bringing in good enough product, because, well, my reputation means people have their guard up around me more and more, and I just...took off. I should have known, though,” he looked around him. “He’ll never actually let me go. He needs me too much.”   
  
Jay looked down at the ship’s deck, his heart racing. He had never told anyone this much about himself, and it felt like too much. He didn’t like being vulnerable, he didn’t like laying himself bare. He much preferred his “tough guy” persona, where everyone was afraid of him, but he was stuck between a rock and a very hard place, and Gil?   
  
If anyone could understand him now, it was Gil.   
  
While Jay’s eyes were cast downwards, Gil’s were studying him. Jay was a charmer, a thief, a liar, but right now, he seemed different, open, scared, and Gil? He wasn’t used to seeing that side of Jay. It was disarming.    
  
“Your...forehead, and your arm?” Gil asked finally. “That was him?”   
  
“Yeah.” Jay nodded, trying to gulp back the lump in his throat. He didn’t want to cry, that felt like too much - he couldn’t break completely, even if Gil was likely understanding.   
  
“And the other night?”   
  
“I was just looking for a place to go,” Jay admitted. “But this Isle is small, there isn’t anywhere he won’t find me.”   
  
In fact, the only place that he could go where Jafar likely wouldn’t come for him was this very pirate ship, but Jay had had his chance with the pirates. He had had his chance, and he had chosen to go in a different direction. He was in absolutely no position to ask for their protection now. It was too late.   
  
“I’m sorry,” Gil said softly. “I...I didn’t know.”   
  
“No one does. Well, except for you, now. People wouldn’t likely be afraid of Jay, son of Jafar, if they knew he was getting knocked around by his dad every night.”   
  
“But you’re so strong, Jay.” Gil looked confused. “Much stronger than him.”

  
“I know I am, I just...I don’t know.” Jay paused. “This isn’t new, and I wasn’t always strong, and by the time I was, it just didn’t matter. Not with him.”   
  
“He already had control,” Gil whispered.    
  
“Yeah.” Jay shrugged as best he could with his restraints in place.   
  
“I know what that’s like.”   
  
“I thought you might. I saw what Gason did to you that night, or...well, part of it.”   
  
“That was my fault. I was...being stupid. Soft.”   
  
“Gil, no.” Jay frowned.    
  
“He raised me to be strong, and tough, and a total lady killer and I just…” he shook his head. “I’m none of those things. I’m weak, and stupid, and spineless, and gay...”   
  
“You wouldn’t be a part of this crew if you weren’t strong, Gil. You-”   
  
“We all know I’m here because of Harry.” Gil cut him off. “But he’s a good friend. He looks out for me.”   
  
“And I bet you look after him, too. You’re loyal Gil, and skilled. Maybe you have different skills than your idiot father wanted you to have, but I saw you with the rigging the other day, that looked incredibly complicated. I don’t know the first thing about caring for a ship.”   
  
“Yeah, a skill that would be marketable if we could actually  _ leave _ this place, but we can’t, so I’m no good.”   
  
“Where would you go?” Jay asked. “If you could leave?”   
  
“I don’t know,” Gil shrugged. “But I’d go. I would get a boat, or...or something and just go, see what’s out there, you know? I have no idea what’s beyond the border, but I know there’s more. My parents talk about it sometimes and I wish I could see it.”   
  
“Yeah,” Jay nodded. “I wish that I could see it, too. I know that there are mountains, forests and jungles, and deserts that go on, and on, and I just hate being stuck here, on this stupid island with my stupid father, and I just wish we could go-”   
  
“We?”   
  
“Well, yeah. Why not? I’m tough, and cunning, and you’re methodical, good with a sword, and bonus points, you know how to sail. I bet we’d make a great team.”   
  
“Yeah, maybe we would.”    
  
Jay noticed a slight smile, and a glint in Gil’s eye as he spoke, and it was the first he’d seen out of the other man.    
  
This had to be Jay’s chance.    
  
“Gil,” he said softly. “Gil, you can’t let Harry sell me back to my father.  _ Please _ .”   
  
“Yeah.” This time, Gil looked down. “I know.”   
  
“You do?” Jay’s eyes widened.    
  
“I can’t just let them turn you back over to someone who’s going to hurt you. I know what that feels like, and I just can’t do that. I’ll talk to him, okay? Tomorrow. Or the next day. I’ll figure it out, I’ll...I don’t know what I’ll do. But I’ll figure it out. I swear, though, if you’re manipulating me, Jay-”   
  
“I’m not,” Jay said quickly. “I’m not, Gil. Everything that I’m telling you is true, I’m too sore, and too tired, and too scared to lie to you anymore.”   
  
“Okay. I believe you. Or at least I want to. You seem...different than Harry described.”   
  
“I betrayed him. I had a choice, and I didn’t choose him. Maybe my hand got forced, but we were close, and I picked someone else over him. I left him behind, and now that my friends have gone off to Auradon, well, I know what that feels like. It’s not the same, I could never have asked them to stay behind because I wasn’t chosen, but it hurts. Being alone hurts.”   
  
“You’re not alone,” Gil said, his eyes locked on Jay’s. “I’m going to find you a way out of this, or at least I’m going to try.”   
  
“For what it’s worth,” Jay said softly. “The other night, when your father threw you out? I wanted to check on you, to make sure that you were okay, to...to tell you everything then, so that you knew that you weren’t alone, either. I just didn’t know how.”   
  
“Being a decent person is hard when all we’ve been taught is villainy.”   
  
“But you  _ want _ to be a decent person, Gil, and that? That’s what makes you special. Most of us just gave up right away, but you? You fought your upbringing, you fought this Isle, and I bet that’s what makes you so precious to Harry, what makes you so precious in general, you actually  _ care  _ about people, and none of us know what that’s like, you know? To have someone selfless, someone who cares.”   
  
“I don’t care.”   
  
“If you didn’t care, you would hand me back to my father.”   
  
“He’d hurt you.”   
  
“He would, but if you didn’t care, that wouldn’t bother you.”   
  
“I’m sorry,” Gil said, reaching out, putting his hand on Jay’s cheek. “I’m sorry that I told Harry I thought you were going to hurt me, I just really thought-”   
  
“I know.”   
  
“You’re only in this position because of me, though.”   
  
“If it wasn’t your crew, it would be someone else, Gil. I don’t exactly have a lot of friends here. This Island is crawling with people who would gladly turn me over to my father for 10, or even 5 gold pieces. At least here, there’s you.” Jay leaned into the hand on his cheek. “You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met, Gil, and god, that’s such a good thing. Just the way you touch me, I-”   
  
“Stop,” Gil whispered.    
  
“Why?” Jay asked.    
  
“Because you’re confusing me. I thought you were the enemy, and now…” he shrugged helplessly.    
  
“I’m not your enemy, Gil.” Jay leaned forwards as best he could with the chains and rope holding him back.    
  
Gil was close, close enough, and Jay pressed his lips against the other man’s.    
  
For a second, Gil kissed him back before pulling away, pushing Jay back against the mast.    
  
“Don’t-don’t do that,” he said. “I already know you’re using me. I’m going to help you. Don’t make it worse.”   
  
“Gil, I’m not!”   
  
“Goodnight, Jay.”    
  
Gil shoved the beanie back into Jay’s mouth, and tied it in, albeit loosely, with the knotted cloth. He reached down, lifting the blanket that he had once again brought, and tucking it around Jay before waking away.   
  
Jay wanted to call out for him, to beg him to come back, but Gil had asked him to stop, and if he wanted Gil to help him, he needed to respect that.   
  
The problem was, kissing Gil had never been a part of Jay’s plan, and now that he had done it, he couldn’t push the thoughts of ‘why’ from his mind. 


	6. Part 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gil attempts to talk to Harry about releasing Jay, but it doesn't go quite the way that he had hoped.

The next day was busy, and Harry left Jonas and Gonzo in charge of their captive while he took Gil along with him to go shake down the locals that, at least in his mind, owed them money.    
  
The sun was high in the sky by the time they were heading back to the Lost Revenge several threats, and two beat downs later, their pockets partially with their meager spoils. Gil hadn’t done any of the beating, of course, he just stood behind Harry, looking tough with his arms folded across his chest, appearing ready to back up his captain, should the need arise.   
  
He had spent the day working up the nerve to talk to Harry about Jay...as well as trying to figure out Jay’s intentions. He knew that, to a degree, the other man must be using him, but at the same time, Gil was pretty good at tracking lies, he was good at reading people. It was one of the reasons why Harry took him along on these shake down missions, he could always tell when their victims were fibbing about not having the money.   
  
As a result, he was sure that Jay was telling the truth, at least about some of the things that he had said the night before. He was sure that Jay’s father was hurting him, and he had seen the fear in Jay’s eyes when he had begged Gil not to let the pirates give him back to his father. What had truly complicated things was the fact that Jay had kissed him.    
  
It hadn’t seemed like a seduction to Gil, but maybe Jay was just that dialed in, maybe he knew that the way to Gil’s heart was a sob story, and to tell Gil that he wasn’t worthless. It bothered Gil that he couldn’t tell, just as it bothered him that, while he had pushed Jay away, he sort of wished that he hadn’t.    
  
Romantically, Gil was inexperienced. He had kissed Harry a few times, but that spark just wasn’t there, and while Harry was fine acting without a spark, one late night, as they passed a bottle of rum back and forth, Gil had told Harry that he didn’t think he could be with someone he didn’t have real feelings for. Harry had looked at him sadly and confessed that while he loved Gil, he wasn’t in love with him. Gil had shoved him, smiling, and said that he felt the same.   
  
That had been a very important night for their friendship, but now it left Gil questioning a lot of things. He had felt a rumbling in his gut when Jay had kissed him, a feeling that he had never felt before. That being said, he was smart enough to know what it meant. It was feelings, or at least some sort of feelings, and he didn’t know what to do with that.   
  
“Alright, Gil, out with it. You’ve been pale all day, and looking like you’re about to hurl as well, are you ill?”   
  
“No.” He shook his head. “I um...I want to talk to you about Jay.”   
  
“Mmm.” Harry sighed. “I did notice when I woke up, he had been covered with a blanket…”   
  
“He was freezing,” Gil explained. “And he was injured when you brought him in, I just...we said we would return him to his father relatively unharmed.”   
  
“That is true…” Harry sighed. “But I know you, Gil. What aren’t you saying? Come on, lad, out with it.”   
  
“I don’t think we should ransom him to Jafar,” Gil said quickly.    
  
“Oh, and why not?” Harry asked, his eyebrow raised.    
  
“Because Jafar is a terrible father. Jay told me-”   
  
“Gil, my boy.” Harry slung an arm around Gil, pulling him in closer. “Just about every parent on this Isle is terrible. You can’t trust Jay. I’ve told you over and over, the boy’s a liar.”   
  
“He’s not lying about this,” Gil said softly.    
  
“Are you sure, Gil?” Harry asked. “Are you absolutely, without any doubt whatsoever, sure? I have seen Jay lie like no other. He’s a charmer, Gil. An incredibly smooth talker, so much so that the rumors that his mother is Scheherzade, spinner of a thousand tales, seem nearly plausible.”   
  
“I…” Gil shrugged. “I’m pretty sure.”   
  
“Pretty sure isn’t good enough with Jay,” Harry said softly. “He’ll pull you close, but only to get a better angle to stab you in the back.”   
  
“I don’t think-”   
  
“You don’t think,” Harry said. “But you don’t know, either. He’s manipulating you, Gil. If you set him free, he’ll just rob us blind. He’s a thief, nothing more.”   
  
“So are we,” Gil said.    
  
“Perhaps,” Harry shrugged. “But Uma left me this crew to look after, and her boots are big ones to fill. If I’m to keep you all fed, and with something of a roof over your heads, I have to be as cunning, as cutthroat as she was, and that means not cutting corners where our enemies are concerned. Make no mistake, Gil. Jay is our enemy, he has made that clear many a time in the past. The only reason he wants to make nice with you, with  _ us _ now, is because we finally have the upper hand. The money from his ransom will see our entire crew to bed with full bellies for weeks.”   
  
“He’s hurting,” Gil said.    
  
“Maybe,” Harry shrugged again. “But everyone on this Isle is. That’s our lot, Gil. We look after our own, and Jay isn’t our own. He can’t be trusted, and that’s that, so unless you’re 100% - no,  _ 200%  _ sure that what he’s telling you is the honest truth, we can’t let him go.” Harry stopped walking and turned to face Gil, his hands on the other man’s shoulders. “So are you sure, Gil? Beyond any,  _ any _ doubt?”   
  
Gil gulped, looking into Harry’s eyes for a moment before shaking his head.    
  
“No,” he said softly. “I’m not.”   
  
“That’s what I thought.” Harry reached out, playfully ruffling Gil’s hair. “I know you’re compassionate, my boy, but you don’t have to have compassion for him. He’s as ruthless as they come. You’d just be wasting it.”   
  
“Okay.” Gil took a deep breath as they started to walk again. “And for what it’s worth, Uma’s boots may be big, but you’re a good Captain, Harry.”   
  
“Ahh, you have to say that, Gil,” Harry said with a smile. “You’re my first mate, and my best friend.”   
  
“It’s still true,” Gil said. “You look out for the crew. You’re good at that. I’ve seen you go without to make sure we were fed.”   
  
“And as I recall, you split your portion to make sure I didn’t have to go without.”   
  
“Still.” Gil shrugged. “You’re a good captain.”   
  
“Well, thank you for saying that,” Harry said.    
  
As they made their way back to the ship, however, Gil’s gut didn’t feel settled. He couldn’t be sure that Jay was being honest, he had only had that one conversation with him, and he trusted Harry. At the same time, though, he wanted more information, and he knew how to get it.   
  
***   
  
Gil waited until the bulk of the pirates had gone to bed, until it was just Bonny on guard in the crow’s nest, and Jay was once again fed for the night, and bound in his sitting position on the mast.    
  
Gil took the blanket and another glass of water and sat next to Jay, removing the gag from his mouth and offering up the cup.    
  
“Thank you,” Jay said softly. He sounded weak, his voice incredibly hoarse from being gagged all of the time. “God, that tastes so good.”   
  
“How are you?” Gil asked, his eyes searching Jay’s.    
  
“Sore. Tired.” Jay shrugged. “But fed. And you’re here, so.”    
  
Jay smiled slightly at Gil, and Gil couldn’t help the pang he felt in his chest, both because Harry’s words about what a skilled talker Jay was came back to him, and because...well, Jay had a nice smile. Handsome boys didn’t smile like that at Gil very often.   
  
Or ever, for that matter.    
  
“And your injuries?”   
  
“Healing up nicely, thanks to you.”   
  
“Jay…”   
  
“Let me guess,” Jay said. “You talked to Harry, and he’s not on board?”   
  
“How’d you know?” Gil frowned, confused.    
  
“Because I know Harry. Whether he wants to admit it or not, even after all of this time, I still know how he operates, and I know how he holds a grudge.”   
  
“Can you blame him?”   
  
“No.” Jay shook his head. “I never said I did, but listen, Gil, I’m not lying to you. You can ask me anything, okay? I’m an open book to you. Whatever it will take for me to prove to you that I can’t...I can’t go home. I don’t know what he’ll do to me, but it won’t be good, and I can’t…” Jay trailed off, gulping, and Gil was sure that he was trying to hold back tears.    
  
Either he was the best actor on the Isle, or he was being honest.    
  
“What...what does he do to you?” Gil didn’t want to ask, he didn’t want to hear the answer, but he needed proof, he needed to be sure that Jay was telling the truth so that he could report back to Harry. In order to get that information, well, he had to ask some difficult questions.   
  
“Different things at different times.” He shrugged. “The night I ran, he threw a ceramic pitcher at the wall next to me, that’s how I got the cut on my arm. It shattered, and when I raised my arms to protect my head, it cut me. Then he...he grabbed me by the arm and pushed me against the wall, used my hair to slam my head against it, that’s...where the bump came from.” Jay looked down at the ground. “Then he took...took a piece of the broken ceramic and pressed it to my face, told me he’d scar me so I wouldn’t forget not to talk back to him again. That’s when I pushed him and ran.”   
  
Jay’s voice was shaking as he spoke, and Gil was so sure that that couldn’t be faked. It was also so hard to hear, as he had had similar experiences with his own father.    
  
“My dad used to do that - throw things, so that they would break right next to me, then threaten not to miss the next time.”   
  
“Gil, I’m so sorry.”   
  
“It’s fine, it’s over,” Gil said. “I’m never going back there.” He lived on the ship now, and honestly, he should have stopped going home a long time ago.   
  
“Good.” Jay nodded. “I’m glad.”   
  
“Me too.” Gil paused. “Is...there anything else, or was it just that one night?”   
  
“No, god, no.” Jay gulped, and shifted, clearly trying to reach up, but with his hands shackled behind his back, he couldn’t.    
  
Gil leaned forwards and noticed that there were tears welling in Jay’s eyes. Perhaps he had been trying to wipe them.    
  
“It started when I was small. He’d push me around, slap me to keep me in line. As I got older, stronger, you know...harder hits. He started throwing things when I was about 12, and...when there wasn’t something easy to throw, he’d beat me with a broom. One of his favorite things to do, though, was pull my arm out of its socket, dislocate my shoulder. He knew how to put it back, but he knew how bad it hurt, he knew…” Jay gulped. “He knew that I couldn’t help from screaming, even after he’d done it a dozen times. And he’d always put it back, it left no mark, no one could tell, but god, it hurt so bad, and my arm would be so sore afterwards, I-”   
  
“Hey,” Gil reached up, wiping the tears from Jay’s cheek as they began to roll down. “You can stop.”   
  
Gil couldn’t imagine Jay being evil enough to make that up. It was so specific, so horrific, and he knew what it was like, to be punished physically for not being “enough” in the eyes of a parent. It hurt to hear it, and he didn’t think that it could take anymore.    
  
Jay leaned his face into Gil’s palm, closing his eyes, blinking back a few of the tears.   
  
“Please don’t let go,” Jay whispered. “Just...just for a moment.”   
  
Gil understood, leaving his hand on Jay’s cheek. Kind touch was so rare on the Isle, and after what Jay had been through, it was no wonder that he wanted a little.    
  
Gil felt sure, so sure, that Harry was wrong about Jay, or at least sure that Jay was being honest. Maybe he had changed. Maybe people could do that. Evidence had always suggested otherwise, but King Ben had brought four Isle kids to Auradon. He wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t think that could change, so maybe, somewhere outside of these borders, there was proof to support the fact that people could.    
  
Maybe some of that had snuck onto the Isle when the border had been so briefly opened to let Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Uma through.   
  
After several moments, Gil pulled his hand back, causing Jay’s eyes to open. The two young men looked at each other, eyes locked, before Gil finally spoke.    
  
“Why did you kiss me last night?” He knew that he shouldn’t have asked, but he just couldn’t help himself.    
  
“I don’t know,” Jay admitted softly. “I...I wanted to.”   
  
“It wasn’t to get me on your side?”   
  
“Yeah,” Jay snorted. “If I were trying to seduce you, Gil, I wouldn’t be going about it by telling you detailed accounts of my villainous father. That’s...not very sexy.”   
  
Well, Jay had a point there.   
  
“Then why did you want to?” Gil asked hesitantly.    
  
“I guess...because you’re handsome, and kind, and gentle, and completely and totally unlike every single other person I have ever met in my life.”    
  
“Is that a good thing?”   
  
“I didn’t used to think so,” Jay admitted. “I mean, I’m an Isle kid, I grew up thinking that, yeah, it was better to be ruthless and evil, but no one’s ever treated me the way that you do, and I really, really like it, Gil.”   
  
“Oh.” Gil chewed on his lower lip.    
  
“What did you think of it?” Jay asked with a hesitance that he had never really displayed before.    
  
“Um.” Gil shrugged. “I don’t know. It made me feel funny.”   
  
“Funny?”   
  
“Yeah, sort of...all flippy inside? Like there was a fish flopping around in my stomach.”   
  
“Oh.” Jay smiled.    
  
“Is  _ that _ a good thing?” Gil asked.    
  
“I think so,” Jay said. “I think it means you like me.”   
  
“And...and  _ you  _ like  _ me _ ?”   
  
“I think so, yeah.”   
  
“How do we know, though?”   
  
“Well, we could try it again…”   
  
“Kissing?”   
  
“Yeah.” Jay nodded, attempting to resituate himself. “Come here.” He leaned forwards a little, but he couldn’t get much closer to Gil than he already was.    
  
“Okay.”    
  
Gil looked at Jay, moving towards him and meeting his lips. This time, when Gil didn’t pull away, Jay deepened the kiss, and to keep balance, Gil placed both of his hands on Jay’s cheeks.    
  
Jay’s lips were a little dry and chapped from the gag, but that didn’t change the warmth that filled Gil’s entire body as the kiss continued. This wasn’t like kissing Harry, or any of the other tentative kisses that Gil had had with women to see if he was interested, and other boys to see if he liked them. The way that he felt kissing Jay was different, and he couldn’t deny it.   


It made him nervous.   
  
Responding to Jay, who was a shockingly skilled kisser, even with both hands quite literally tied behind his back, Gil climbed into the other man’s lap, his back resting against Jay’s bent knees. He wanted to feel Jay’s touch, but he didn’t have the keys to the shackles, and he didn’t think he could explain to Harry why he wanted them, so this would have to do.   
  
“Is this okay?” Gil asked, pulling back and looking down at Jay.    
  
“Yeah.” Jay nodded, leaning in to kiss Gil again, but Gil pulled back.    
  
“It feels kind of wrong.”   
  
“Because it’s me?”   
  
“Because you’re tied up, because...you’re my prisoner.”   
  
“I’m not  _ your _ prisoner,” Jay said softly. “I’m Harry’s prisoner.”   
  
“Well, sort of.” Gil scrunched his face up.   
  
“It’s okay, Gil,” Jay promised. “Honestly, this is the best I’ve felt since I ran away from my father.” He paused. “This is the best I’ve felt in a long time. I want you here.”   
  
“You’re sure?” Gil asked, studying Jay’s face for any sense that he was merely appeasing.   
  
“I’m sure.”   
  
Gil nodded and leaned back in, kissing Jay again and again until he was out of breath.    
  
“Wow,” Gil sighed as he climbed out of Jay’s lap, moving to sit beside him, tentatively resting his head against Jay’s shoulder. “I definitely think I like you.”   
  
“Yeah.” Jay shifted slightly, but let Gil settle in against him. “I...I think I like you, too.”   
  
“I had a crush on you, you know,” Gil said softly. “When - back when we were younger?”   
  
“You did?” Jay looked down at Gil in surprise.   
  
“Yeah. Or at least I think so. You were handsome, and charming, and your hair was pretty - well, I guess...you’re still all of those things.”   
  
“Why didn’t you ever act on it? I’ve never been exactly...hard to get.”   
  
“You were Harry’s.” Gil shrugged. “I mean, I don’t know exactly what you guys were, but you were with him at least a little, and he’s my best friend, and also if you liked him, I didn’t think you’d like me.”   
  
“I mean,” Jay sighed. “I was young, stupid, I can’t say whether I would have or not,” he admitted. “But I like you now.”   
  
Gil just nodded, letting out a sigh.    
  
“Just think of what we could see if we weren’t stuck here,” Jay said, looking out at the dark night.    
  
“Yeah.” Gil smiled. “Jungles? Mountains? Glaciers? Forests? Deserts?”   
  
“All of it.”   
  
“Wow.” There was a sense of wonder in Gil’s voice, and even just the one word was laced with it.   
  
“Yeah.” Jay smiled. “Wow.”   
  
The two young men stayed like that, leaning up against each other, just talking about what life might be like outside of the Isle barrier, and about what their lives had been like leading up to now. Gil learned so much about Jay, and saw that tough facade continue to crack with every word, and in turn, Gil shared his insecurities, his hesitancy to do harm and commit crimes, showing Jay huge chunks of who he really was, letting down his own guard.   
  
They talked until Jay’s voice was all but gone, and his eyes were drooping shut.   
  
Gil covered him with the blanket, forgetting the gag entirely, and kissed Jay softly on the cheek before retreating to his hammock below deck. When he woke in the morning, he would talk to Harry, and hopefully, everything would start to fall into a better place.


	7. Part 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gil wakes late after his night with Jay, eager to talk to Harry about Jay's release only to find that Harry had something else in mind for their prisoner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, this chapter contains more violence than those before it. As a result, I added a "violence" tag.

Gil woke a little late the next morning, having stayed out so long talking to Jay. The sun was up, and he was nervous, but excited, as he went up to the deck in search of his captain and best friend.    
  
“Harry?” Gil called, eager to tell the other man that, after their conversation last night, he was certain that Jay was telling the truth. His eyes scanned the ship, trying to find the other pirate.    
  
Rather than spotting Harry, however, Gil noticed right away that the mast where Jay had been tied for days was empty. The metal shackles lay on the deck at the base of the mast next to Jay’s red beanie, but there was no sign of the other man.    
  
Gil told himself to calm down - someone may have just taken Jay to use the bathroom or stretch his legs. At the same time, however, he couldn’t help the nagging feeling in his gut that something was wrong.    
  
“Harry!” Gil spotted the captain, and jogged up beside him.    
  
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Harry said with a smirk, ruffling Gil’s unkempt blonde hair in a fond manner.    
  
“I was up late,” Gil said. “Harry, where’s Jay? Did someone take him to the bathroom?”   
  
“No.” Harry shook his head. “He’s back at home where he belongs.”   
  
“What?” Gil paled, staring at Harry.    
  
“Jafar came for him this morning with the ransom in full, so I’ve sent him on his way.” Harry paused. “It is possible that I sent word that we were growing impatient to speed the process along…”   
  
“Why would you do that?” Gil asked, heart pounding.    
  
“Because I was growing impatient,” Harry said with a shrug.    
  
“But he’s…” Gil trailed off, not sure how to explain everything.    
  
“You said you weren’t sure, and I told you, he’s a manipulator, a liar.” He paused. “A seductor.”   
  
“Maybe in the past, but not this time!” Gil cried.    
  
“I saw you last night, Gil, in his lap, kissing. He’s seduced you, and I can’t let him do that, he had to be out of here, away from you.”   
  
“He wasn’t seducing me,” Gil said. “He was telling the truth, Harry. I may not have been sure when we spoke yesterday, but I’m sure now. He’s in a lot of trouble, Harry. If you really gave him back to Jafar, he’s in danger, he’s-”   
  
“Gil, breathe.” Harry reached out, putting a hand on Gil’s shoulder, but Gil pushed it away.    
  
“He wasn’t seducing me, he cares about me, and I care about him, and now he’s in trouble, and we have to help him!”   
  
“Don’t you get it?” Harry asked. “This is what he does, that’s how he gets you. He’s a charmer, Gil. He’ll make you believe whatever you want, take what  _ he _ wants, and leave you with nothing. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”   
  
“Well I don’t want to see  _ him _ get hurt, and there’s no chance that Jafar will just let things slide!” Gil looked panicked, and he felt a tightness in his chest that he had only ever felt when his father was advancing on him, preparing to strike.    
  
“Gil, he’s not who you think he is. I’m just trying to protect you!”   
  
“No, he’s not who  _ you _ think he is,” Gil objected. “I’m sorry that you had a bad experience with him. I’m sorry that he hurt you, but Mal and Uma forced us  _ all _ to choose sides. You and I chose, just the same as he did, and he’s in danger. Jafar is going to hurt him, badly, and I know you’re a pirate, Harry, I know you’re ruthless or whatever, but I also know that you’re not truly evil. He wasn’t lying when he told me that his father abuses him, and I know what that feels like, Harry. I can’t let him go back there. Please.”   
  
“What do you propose I do, Gil?” Harry asked, looking into Gil’s eyes.    
  
Gil was his best friend. If anyone else was asking this of him, Harry would hardly be listening at all, but this was Gil. Gil was better at reading people than anyone Harry had ever met, and more than that, Gil was compassionate, caring, and right now, Harry could see that Gil was panicking.   
  
“We have to go rescue him,” Gil said resolutely.    
  
“And then what?” Harry asked. “If Jafar wants to find him, he’ll find him.”   
  
“Not if he has our protection,” Gil argued. “Not if he joins us.”   
  
“You want Jay to join our crew?” Harry asked, highly suspicious. “Look, Gil, I’m sorry that I ransomed your crush, I am, but he’s not trustworthy, he’s-”   
  
“He’s changed. We have, too. Look me in the eyes and tell me you’re exactly the same man you were two years ago. I know that I’m not, and if you won’t help me rescue him, Harry, I will go by myself. I know where Jafar’s shop is, and I would love to have you back me. I know how much stronger my chances are with you by my side, but I can’t let Jafar do what I know he’ll do if he gets to keep Jay.”   
  
“Oh Gil…” Harry’s expression softened. He had never seen this kind of boldness from his first mate. “You really care for him, don’t you?”   
  
“Yes.” Gil reached up, wiping a tear from his green eyes. “We’ve all made bad and hurtful choices on this Isle, Harry. And yes, that includes Jay, but it also includes me, and...and you. That doesn’t mean he deserves what’s coming to him back at home. Inside, he’s just the same as you and me - overlooked, never given a chance. Wounded, sad. Broken. He’s being abused, and I won’t just stand here and let it happen.”   
  
Harry studied Gil’s face, taking in his friend’s worried expression.    
  
“Fine.” Harry let out a long suffering sigh. “But if he turns on us, I’ll run him through myself.”   
  
“Thank you.” Gil threw his arms around Harry, pulling him into a strong hug.   
  
***   
  
When Jafar had come for Jay that morning, Jay had been turned over to his father with his hands bound in tight ropes behind his back.    
  
Jafar hadn’t bothered to untie the ropes as he dragged his son through the streets of the Isle. Jay cried out once or twice, but his throat was raw, and the pleas for help were both weak, and fell on the deaf ears of the few people out on the streets that morning.    
  
The fact of the matter was, a father dragging his son through the streets like this was nothing of consequence on the Isle, and there wasn’t much love lost for Jay around these parts.    
  
“You foolish,  _ foolish  _ boy!” Jafar threw Jay to the ground of their home once they were through the door. “When I went to the little hideout you had with your friends, I thought, for a moment, perhaps you were smarter than I gave you credit for, smart enough not to go there where I would surely find you,” he leered down at Jay, aiming a strong kick at the boy’s side. “But no, you were stupid enough to get yourself kidnapped by  _ pirates _ ! You cost me 50 gold pieces, and you  _ will  _ make that up to me!”   
  
“You could have left me!” Jay argued, doing his best to push himself back from his father. All he managed to succeed in doing, however, was backing himself up against the wall, his father towering over him.    
  
“You’ll pay for your insolence, boy.”   
  
Jafar kicked him again, and Jay crumbled to the ground, curling up into a ball to try and protect himself from further harm. With his arms tied behind his back, there was little he could do, and he was desperate to try to protect his neck and head, but he couldn’t think of any way.    
  
“Please,” Jay begged. “Please stop!”   
  
“Look at how weak you are.” Jafar grabbed Jay by his tangled hair, pulling him to his feet and looking him right in the eye. “Cowering, begging, crying. You’re pathetic.”    
  
Jafar threw him against the wall, and with Jay unable to stabilize himself, he slammed against it before falling to the ground.   
  
“You are worth nothing more than the product you bring into the shop, and you  _ will  _ do better with that. In fact, that is  _ all _ you will be doing. You will run errands for me, man the shop, clean the house, cook, and that is it.”    
  
Jafar grabbed a long length of chain that was anchored to the wall, something new to the room that Jay hadn’t immediately noticed when he had come home. The man wrapped the free end of the chain around Jay’s left ankle, padlocking it tightly.    
  
The chain was long enough that Jay would be able to make his way around their small home, but not get to the door. His father would have to release him for that, and Jay was nervous. He hated the idea of being unable to escape, and his hope, already dim, was draining from him quickly.    
  
“Please don’t,” he begged his father. “Please just let me go. I’ll be good, I’ll do better.”   
  
“You had your chance,” Jafar snarled. “And instead of stepping it up, you talked back to me, and got yourself kidnapped, costing  _ me _ more gold than any single thing ever has. You’re hardly worth it, but you should consider yourself lucky that I cared enough to rescue you from those bloodthirsty mongrels.”   
  
“You should have just left me with them!” Jay shouted.    
  
“What was that?” Jafar grabbed Jay by the throat, lifting him, once again, to his feet. He pushed Jay against the wall, the young man’s bound hands digging into his lower back. “You want to scream and shout?” Jafar hissed. “I’ll make you scream.” He squeezed Jay’s throat just enough to make the boy sputter for air before letting it go, backhanding him hard across the cheek, the rings that the man wore cutting Jay’s face.    
  
“Let me go!” Jay struggled, tears welling in his eyes. “Stop it! Help!” His voice was still weak, however, and his cries barely loud enough to be heard inside of their home, let alone outside of it.    
  
“No,” Jafar sneered. “You’re mine, you’ll do as I say. You’ll be locked up when you’re home, and allowed out only to go and bring things home for me. If you try and run again, I will find you.”   
  
The man let go of his son, leaving Jay standing, leaning against the wall for support, his entire body shaking. Jay felt utterly helpless, even more so than when he had been bound to the mast of the Lost Revenge, depending on the pirates for every little thing.   
  
Jafar went to the corner, grabbing his staff. He lifted it, using the head of the cobra to push some of Jay’s hair from his face.    
  
“There is nowhere on this Isle where I won’t find you, Jay, and if you try and run from me again, if you cost me so much as another  _ penny _ ...well, I brought you into this world,” Jafar sneered. “I can take you out of it.”   
  
Jay gulped, his tears freely falling now, the salt mixing painfully with the open, bleeding scratches on his face.    
  
“Cry all you want. You messed up, Jay. You deserve to be punished for that.” Jafar backed up and slammed the head of the staff into Jay’s gut, causing his son to double over, coughing.    
  
Physically, Jay was still a wreck from his captivity on the pirate ship, and now, with Jafar attacking him, he felt his entire body screaming in pain.    
  
“Please,” he looked up at his father through a curtain of matted hair, barely choking the words out. “ _ Please _ .”   
  
“Shut up.”    
  
Jafar struck him with the staff again, and Jay cried out in pain as he felt one of his ribs crack.   
  
“You are useless, you’re worthless. I am the only person on this Earth, or any other, who will ever care about you, or do anything for you, and the sooner you get that through your head, the better. Even if I have to beat it into you!”   
  
Jay heard those words, and glared up at his father, because, possibly for the first time in his life, he knew that they were a lie. He remembered what Gil had said to him, he remembered the way that Gil had tended to him, the way that Gil had touched him so gently, kissed him so passionately, and he knew that his father was wrong.    
  
“That’s not true,” Jay whispered.    
  
“ _ Excuse  _ me?” Jafar sneered.    
  
“You’re not the person that cares about me - in fact, you don’t care about me at all.” Even bound and severely injured, Jay felt bolstered by Gil’s compassion.    
  
“How can you say that? Your little friends abandoned you, running off to Auradon. Do you really think they haven’t forgotten all about you in the glitz and glamour of their new lives?”   
  
“I don’t think that they have,” Jay admitted. “But even if they have, you’re not the only ones, and they weren’t either.” He did his best to stand tall, staring down his father. “You can hit me all you want, but you know what? You can’t beat  _ that _ into me anymore. I may not have any value to  _ you _ , but I have value to someone.”   
  
“It’s no matter,” Jafar said with a shrug. “Even if you think there’s someone else out there who cares, you’ll never see them again. I suggest you let go of that.”   
  
“I won’t.” Jay mustered all of his strength, using it to take a step forward. “You won’t win. I will keep fighting you every chance I get. You’ll have to kill me to stop me.”   
  
“That can be arranged!”    
  
Jafar’s eyes flashed with anger, and he pulled his staff back, striking his son as hard as he could with the golden head of the cobra.   
  
Jay fell to the ground, unconscious, blood pooling on the floor by his head, mixing into his long hair as Jafar stood over him, staff still clutched in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that Jafar's staff is likely in the museum on Auradon, but...I just really wanted him to have it for this chapter, and it would be powerless with the barrier anyways, so...yeah.


End file.
